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Look. We love a solid, affordable whisk(e)y roundup. We've certainly written our share on ManMade: see here, here, here, and here. But there are times in life where "good enough" isn't... those times where you're really to spend a little more to experience something seriously amazing.

I love a full-on furniture project, replete with solid joinery, elegant design, and high-quality materials. But, as any maker knows, those can take weeks or even months to sketch, mill up stock, test, fix mistakes, and rub on a finish.

So, do you know what I love even more? A simple woodworking project you can complete in a single day, or better yet, an afternoon. Something to get you some shop time, create some sawdust and shavings, and be put to practical use by dinnertime.

Here's the kind peer-reviewed scientific study and journal article that we can all get behind: how to make your whiskey taste better. This year, scholars Björn C. G. Karlsson & Ran Friedman took a look at the molecular makeup of whiksey, and specifically, how dilution with water affects the presence of flavorful compounds that make the sipping experience even more enjoyable.

He's back, ladies and gentlemen. Last year he treated us to a comforting glass of Lagavulin Single-Malt Scotch next to a roaring yule log for 45 minutes. This year it's an hour of scotch-sipping outside a distillery in Scotland all leading up to an epic(ally subdued) New Year's Eve countdown...

A few years ago, the bacon craze hit the cocktail scene, and we saw everything from bacon fat washes to candied bacon garnishes on sticks to all sorts of meat-y infusions and even full-on strips of protein floating in glasses.

We're okay with that trend dying down a bit, though we can't deny the fact that the smoky sweetness of bacon really does happen to complement the flavors of certain spirits, particularly whisky, quite well. So, instead of taking the bacon flavor to the whisky, let's take the whisky... to... the bacon.

There are times to try new things. Times to taste different flavors, experiment with products, seek out something you've never encountered before...And sometimes, you just want to know what the best option is. The easy choice. The go-to. The everyday variety you know will work when you need it, and rely on every time. Throughout the next few months, ManMade is seeking out the best affordable bottles of a variety of spirits that work well in your home bar, but know you can grab at the store the next time you head to a friend's house or a party.

Enjoying a glass of something strong is a good way to end the night every now and then. But do you know how to actually get the best out of the experience? Here's a quick and dirty take on how to get the most fun, flavor, and enjoyment.

Huh. The Daily Beast shares that most bottles of 'craft' whiskey - those determined by branding using phrases like "small batch," "handcrafted," "artisanal," and always with a local designation, probably come from a huge, macro distillery in Southern Indiana.

In 1907, Ernest Shackleton and his crew set out to reach the South Pole, taking all the gear, food, and fuel necessary to keep the team alive in the extreme climate. The Antarctic explorer also brought something else with him, cases

These cold winter months, with their insane wind chills and 5:00 p.m. sunsets, are the season of curling up with a tumbler of, as Don Draper says, "something big and brown." No mixers, shakers, or bar tools required - just a heavy glass, and a quality whiskey that can stand up on its own for some serious sipping. And if you know what you're looking for, there's no reason you have to spend more than $40 a bottle. Single malts included.

Whisky fan, consummate actor, and proud Scot Brian Cox shares a intro guide to pronouncing more than forty-five different Scotches. Though it's possible the liquor store owner might not know any better, a good bartender certainly will, and perhaps you'll get a few extra drops for pronouncing it correctly. Maybe.

Ah...whiskey. It's mostly just grains, mashed up and fermented, then distilled and aged a bit.

But, when you think of all the different grains - barley, rye, malted barley, malted rye, wheat, corn - plus all these distinct flavors that occur during the fermenting proces and, particularly, the aging process, which results in the various kinds of whiskey - like bourbon, Canadian whiskey, single malt Scotch, blended Scotch, Tennessee whiskey, Irish whiskey, Japanese whiskey...it's a lot to get your mind around.

The Manhattan is the cocktail that can best show what rye whiskey can do. It was invented in honor of the election of New York Governor Samuel Tilden in 1874.

The classic recipe features a 2:1 ratio of rye to vermouth, stirred in a mixing glass, then strained into an iced martini glass. Variations include a perfect Manhattan, made with equal parts dry and sweet vermouth, and a Rob Roy, which is made with scotch, recipe below.